ENGLISH
REFERENCE

wearing

v.
A1 Beginner US //ˈwɛɹɪŋ// UK //wˈeəɹɪŋ// wear·ing

v. having clothes, jewelry, or glasses on your body. You use this to describe what someone is dressed in right now.

v. carrying or having on the body as a covering, adornment, or protection. The present participle of 'wear', often used in continuous tenses to describe current attire.


SIMPLE

She is wearing a blue dress today.

CONTEXTUAL

He is wearing a heavy coat because the temperature dropped significantly this morning.

COMPLEX

While most guests were wearing formal suits, the artist arrived wearing a simple linen shirt, subtly signaling his indifference to the evening's strict dress code.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object (the item of clothing).

Pitfall

I am wearing a new carI have a new carLearners sometimes confuse 'wear' with 'have' or 'use'; 'wear' is strictly for items attached to the body like clothes or perfume.

© 2026 English Reference